Messages written by Groupama-FDJ's David Gaudu reveal a bitter feud with team mate Arnaud Démare. After the messages, written in a chatroom, were leaked online Gaudu moved to apologise for his words.
However, the content of the text that has emerged publicly makes for difficult reading and make clear Groupama-FDJ management is dealing with a serious rift in the team between two of its top riders. The rivalry, including over Tour de France selection, is ongoing appears to have begun as soon as Gaudu joined the team back in 2017.
Gaudu complains of "a big lack of respect since 2017" from Démare, adding he did not fear Démare and would not be afraid to confront him. It also appeared Gaudu was trying to block Démare from riding the Tour de France with the team, and certainly did not want him in the selection.
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Démare was not selected last year for the Tour, with Gaudu leading the team and riding a fine race; finishing 4th in the final general classification.
Gaudu wrote in the chatroom messages that Démare once “didn't want to get in the elevator because 'there's Gaudu'". He also claimed Démare had deliberately tried to put him down when he knew cameras were recording.
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"I don't want him to come to the Tour… if he wants me to tell him to his face, I can very well. I'm not afraid of him,” he said, before also stating the rivalry did not impact him too much as their racing schedules were so different.
"The advantage is that we don't talk to each other, and we don't ride together or almost (never) together. He wants his selection for the Tour. But that's not won. Me, I don't want him to come to the Tour, good Netflix or not, I don't care."
The text appears to have been written in chat on the Discord platform about progress at the team training camp last week. The text was screen grabbed and Tweeted last night, with Gaudu retweeting those Tweets today when apologising, thus confirming he wrote them.
“My comments should never have been made in a public setting. I apologised to the team and to Arnaud," Gaudu said on Twitter.
Team boss Marc Madiot has also responded to the controversy, telling l'Equipe: “If they are going to be yelled at? But they have already been yelled at. They are not friends, OK. And me, my job is that they work together, that's all. And they say what they want when they are with their friends, OK, but not on social networks."
